Solvay Partners With PrinterPrezz on 3D Printing

PrinterPrezz is a company invested in combining polymer and metal 3D printing, nanotechnologies and surgical expertise to design and manufacture next-generation medical devices.

“Solvay works with companies across the additive manufacturing (AM) ecosystem to offer production-ready high-performance 3D printing solutions to the healthcare industry,” says Christophe Schramm, AM business manager for Solvay Specialty Polymers global business unit. “This partnership will allow us to combine our expertise in materials with PrinterPrezz’s unique offering for qualification of medical devices to accelerate the adoption of 3D printed implants and medical devices using Solvay’s latest AM powder technology for SLS.”

Solvay has over 30 years of experience supplying polymers to the health care industry. The company's Solviva biomaterials provide optimal performance and meet the requirements for prolonged or permanent exposure to bodily fluids and tissue in the human body. Solvay is leveraging this experience to jointly optimize materials, processing, design and testing for the manufacturing of high-performance 3D printed medical devices.

In addition to the collaboration, Solvay's venture capital fund, Solvay Ventures, participated in PrinterPrezz’s recent $16 million equity financing round. The funding will support collaborative development efforts in specialized materials for medical equipment.

“By partnering together, Solvay and PrinterPrezz will accelerate the advancement of 3D printed medical devices, providing better patient outcomes through breakthrough technology as a part of our efforts to create sustainable shared value for all,” says Thomas Canova, head of Solvay Ventures.

“3D printing is evolving rapidly and is revolutionizing and the development of advanced health care applications from concept to manufacturing,” says Shri Shetty, CEO of PrinterPrezz. “The range of services offered by PrinterPrezz which includes engineering, clinical and regulatory guidance as well as access to 3D simulation software and state-of-the-art 3D printers provides Solvay a gateway for the development and optimization of their high-performance polymeric AM powders to advance the manufacturing of next generation implants and medical devices.”

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.